World Cup organizers insisted that an "incomplete roof" at Sao Paulo’s Corinthians stadium will not affect it "hosting matches when the tournament begins next month," according to the IRISH TIMES. Constructors completing the project have admitted that they will not "finish the intended design until after the tournament but the event's local organising committee have stressed this will not be a problem." The venue will host the opening match between Brazil and Croatia on June 12 before England faces Uruguay there a week later. On Sunday it underwent its final test by "staging a Brazilian league match between Corinthians and Figueirense, which was affected by rain and hail storms forcing those among the restricted crowd of 40,000 not under cover of the roof to seek shelter elsewhere" (IRISH TIMES, 5/19). The AFP reported the "soaked fans sought cover in higher rows, which had not sold out." An AFP photographer said that cell phone communications were "all but impossible during and after the match because the 3G network was saturated," though Wi-Fi "was working inside the stadium." The venue and surrounding area still look "very much like a construction site, with cranes and scaffolding visible and some VIP areas unfinished." Long lines formed at the entrance to "one wing of the stadium, where only half the four elevators were working." After the match, there was "not enough light for fans to find their way to their cars, leaving them to use their cell phones as flashlights." The security perimeter around the stadium was "also smaller than that required by FIFA," and metal detectors demanded by FIFA were "not yet installed" (AFP, 5/19).
ORGANIZERS OPTIMISTIC: THE NATIONAL's Gary Meenaghan reported World Cup Local Organizing Committee CEO Ricardo Trade was in an "optimistic mood post-match on Sunday." Trade: "There are still tweaks here and there, but we already knew that. This test was to verify these things, but I would say it has been one of the best tests we have conducted. I was impressed with the sound, the lighting, the pitch, the screens..." In the stadium's interior, several rooms were "awaiting carpets, a sprinkler was leaking water, light-fittings hung loose and the elevators were programmed incorrectly, taking users to the wrong floors." A Brazilian photographer had a "suitcase with two camera lenses and a flash stolen from the media centre." The arena will host six matches in total, including a semifinal. It was "initially expected to cost" 350M reais ($136.1M), but the "final figure is closer" to 1.1B reais ($500M) (THE NATIONAL, 5/19).
